"Aaron, hello." George greeted once he was within Aaron's hearing range. Aaron let out a small groan and reluctantly set his book down. He plastered a fake smile on his face and directed his attention to George.

"Hello Mr. King." He said, through gritted teeth. George sauntered over and swung an arm around Aaron's shoulders, who in turn attempted to push it off. Unfortunately for him, George was much stronger and he failed to push the intruding arm off.

"What's this? A book? You have much better things to do than read." George laughed before snatching Aaron's book, much to his dismay. George looked at the cover and a sneer covered his (handsome) face.

"A fairy tale? Aren't a bit old for something so childish?" George said shaking his head, before chuckling. Behind the two, Samuel snickered. George ignored it, but Aaron heard it and his face flush in shame.

"I-I guess... B-But they're just so i-interesting..." He stammered, squirming a bit. George quirked an eyebrow and grinned.

"If you keep squirming like that I won't be able to hold back." He whispered before biting Aaron's ear softly. Aaron let out a squeak and jumped away, holding his left ear.

"W-What the heck!" He screeched, his face a blood red. George chuckled and wrapped his arm around Aaron again and pulled him closer.

"I'm jesting dear sir! However, shouldn't you be paying attention to something more important? Like me?" George wiggled his eyebrows strangely. Aaron quickly got out from under George's arm and stood up.

"May I please have my book back?" Aaron asked, hoping to change the subject. George tsked and stood up as well.

"You need to get your head out of the clouds return back to earth. A person like you shouldn't read. If this keeps up, you might start getting... ideas." George said and to Aaron's horror, he dumped his beautiful new book into the fountain.

"No!" Aaron cried and ran forward. He snatched the book out of the water and desperately tried to save it so that it could still be read. He faintly heard Samuel snicker and George sigh, but he couldn't care less. With tears in his eyes he turned and glared at the hunter.

"George, you are positively primal." Aaron spat. George laughed and put a large hand on his shoulder.

"I shall take that as a complement." George said, before he tried to lead Aaron away. "Now, why don't you come to the tavern and have a drink with me? You can even have a look at all my hunting trophies! Trust me when I say that looking at the dead, glassy eyes of animals is far more amazing than any silly novel you'll ever read."

Aaron scowled and promptly smacked George's arm away. "I will have to pass. I need to return to my sister." He said stiffly.

"Sally Reeve? The insane inventor? Ha! She needs to get a husband and settle down. Maybe than she'll finally return to normal." Samuel snickered.

"My sister is not insane!" He yelled, his hands balling into fists. "Sally is a genius."

"Yes, of course! Now, after you've finished uh, helping with your sister, maybe you could work me into your schedule?" George inquired. Aaron blinked and frowned.

"Yeah. Sure. Good day." Aaron said quickly, before practically running away. He was so embarrassed for the way he behaved. He hasn't lost his composure in years and he felt terribly ashamed for letting George and Seabury get under his skin that easily. As he rushed home, he heard an explosion coming from the direction his house was.

He sighed, and quickened the pace. He had no doubt that Sally made something explode again. A fond smile made its way on his face and he broke into a run. He arrived at his house and sure enough, smoke was coming out of the basement windows.

"Sally?" He called through the window.

"Aaron! You're back." Sally appeared right at the window and grinned at her brother. Aaron sighed, but a smile soon appeared.

"Are you alright? I heard the explosion from the middle of town." Aaron said in concern. Even if this type of thing happened almost everyday, he still worried for his sister. It was practically his job. Without him, Aaron had a feeling that Sally would've died a long time ago.

"I'm fine! Just working some things out." Sally said, grinning. She left the window and walked back into the smoke.

"I'll be down there to help you in a minute." Aaron yelled. He turned on his heel and rushed into the house. He put the loaf of bread away in the kitchen. He than put his bag down on a chair and rushed downstairs. By now, most of the smoke had cleared out and he could clearly make out his sister's form. His eyes widened in slight awe when he saw a small music box.

"Wow Sally... That's beautiful." Aaron said softly. Sally looked over at him and smiled.

"It is, isn't it? I modeled the people inside to look like our parents. It also plays the lullaby that Mum would sing to you whenever you got upset." Sally explained, a tender look on her face. Aaron took in a sharp breath at her words.

He had zero memories of their parents because they'd died when he had only been two but Sally remembered them very well. Talking about their parents was a sensitive subject and one that they avoided.

"Sally..." He whispered. Sally took in a deep breath and gave Aaron a sad smile.

"This baby is gonna win us a ton of money from the fair in two days." She said and Aaron wrapped his arms around his sister.

"Sally you don't have to sell this if you don't want to." He said softly. Sally stiffened in his arms, before relaxing again.

"I'm not gonna sell it. Just show it off. Than maybe I'll make some more if people want 'em." Sally muttered. Aaron pulled away and looked over at the music box.

"Well, if you're sure..." He said uncertainly. Sally gave him a determined look and nodded.

"I'm one hundred percent sure. Speaking of the fair, I'm going to have to leave as soon as possible. The trip there takes one day and if I wanna get there on time, I've gotta hurry." Sally said, walking away from her brother. She picked up the music box and wrapped it up with brown clothes.

"Can you go and set Theodosia up for a day trip with the carriage?" Sally asked as she bustled about the workshop. Aaron sighed and shook his head, but he agreed.

"Alright. I'll make you some food as well." He said, before walking out of the basement.

---

"Alright Sally, Theo's ready to go. And I've made plenty of food for you as well." Aaron said, walking down the stairs. Sally met him halfway up and grinned at him.

"I'm all set too." She said.

The two walked over to where Theodosia was tied up with a carriage attached to her backside. Aaron walked over to Theodosia and patted her snout.

"You ready girl?" He asked and got a soft neigh in response. Sally giggled, before she started to load up the carriage with food, clothes, and her music box. She climbed on top of Theodosia and smiled at Aaron.

"I'll be back in just a few days. You stay safe, alright?" Sally said and Aaron chuckled.

"I should be the one to tell you that." He responded. "You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Bye Aaron, I love you." She yelled. Aaron waved she trotted away, out of Yorktown and into the forest nearby. Aaron's hand dropped and he smiled. She'll be alright. I know she will. She'll come back safe and sound.

A few hours after entering the forest, Sally was hopelessly lost. She had followed the path that was suppose to lead her to the fair, but she had gotten lost. As she looked around, hopelessness filled her being. Everything looked the exact same!

"Theo, I think we're lost." Sally said and Theodosia whined in response. Sally examined her map and frowned.

"Um... Let's go that way!" She announced, pointing east. Gently, she directed Theodosia towards a small dirt path. It was overgrown with weeds and bushes, but it was still a path. As they walked along, the air became colder. Sally wrapped her shawl tighter around her body and shivered.

"Is it just me, or did it become colder?" She muttered. "I think we'd better turn back around."

When she tried to do just that, she accidentally made Theodosia walked into a tree. Snow fell from the branches and hit Theo's backside. This spooked her and she reared back causing the music box that Sally had worked so hard on to fall, as well as some food.

Theodosia tore off. This, unfortunately, caused Sally to be flung from her back and she fell to the ground. She cried out in pain when she landed badly on her right shoulder. She quickly stood up and tried to run after Theodosia.

"Wait! Theo, come back!" She called desperately, but a horse is much faster than a human and Theodosia quickly disappeared from sight. She stumbled through the freezing woods, searching for a way out.

That was a when a loud howl tore through the air, followed by several others. Sally felt panic rise up and she began to run. She didn't think, she just ran. More howls filled the air and Sally nearly screamed when a wolf jumped right in front of her. 

She quickly changed directions and ran. She could feel the hot breath of the wolves on her heels. She hardly felt the scratches that she got from all the branches. She was just focusing on running.

She let out a startled yelp when the ground underneath her disappear. She tumbled down the hill with the wolves close behind. She stopped before a large gate and clambered up. She pushed against the gate and nearly sobbed with relief when it opened. She ran inside and slammed the gate shut.

The wolves snapped at her from the other side and Sally backed away. She than turned and ran away, just in case they got in. When she saw what was behind her though, she froze and gasped in shock.